Rule of Rose (PS2)
Added 2024-10-25 06:46:28 +0000 UTCI wanted to get this video out before Halloween, but I can't believe I managed to finish it in 2 weeks. It was a crazy amount of work, and the script was definitely one of the most difficult to write. Took me a week alone to get through that.
This was my first time playing Rule of Rose, and I also went into it almost completely blind. I've never watched any videos or read any articles about it. And that was intentional, because I've always wanted to play it. The only thing I knew about the game was that it's about a bunch of girls bullying an older girl, and the gameplay is bad.
It was such a weird experience on a first playthrough, and I really wanted to capture that feeling through the structure of the video. Hopefully I did it justice.
Rule of Rose also has a very complex, symbolic, and ambiguous storyline, so there's a lot to discuss, far more than I could ever hope to cover as one person, so I'm looking forward to other people's thoughts and interpretations in the comments.
As for the next video, I've got two ideas for what to cover next. One of them may end up being a Dungeon Dwellers Archive video. I'm not sure yet, and I won't know until I start writing the script, so I'll let you know what's up in the next post.
Until then, hope you enjoy Rule of Rose for spooky season. Catch you next time.
Dungeon Chill. Out.
Comments
A+ analysis of Rule of Rose! This is actually a favorite of mine. I happened to buy it for $5 at a Gamestop back in the day, and now it's in my firebox because it's worth so damn much.
Miss M
2024-10-31 03:04:12 +0000 UTCThanks! Yeah, it’s definitely easier to be seen here than in the YouTube comments. Really hard to keep up with those. I actually mentioned to someone else in these comments that I was thinking about the use of imagination that the kids were doing to cope with their situation, but I had already finished the video. So many ways of looking at things with this game. Also, I just knew I missed notes and other diaries and stuff. It’s fascinating to me that the devs basically hid that stuff, but I also kind of love that they did that. I found out afterwards that you can find Jennifer’s diary as well, I think in the orphanage at the end. Anyway, thanks for all your insights! And welcome to the dungeon.
Dungeon Chill
2024-10-27 00:58:04 +0000 UTCI left what ended up being a novel in the comments of the youtube video, and then just decided to sub on patreon because the amount of love I had for this, and all of your videos, was worth a couple bucks for me. (And also I wanted to make sure you saw my comment, as it answered a few of your 'if you know please let me know' questions throughout the video lol) This is it, this is the definitive Rule of Rose video. This explains everything that I want explained about the game. Before playing Rule of Rose, I referred to it as a Child Abuse Simulator. After completing it, I am a complete Rule of Rose apologist. It's a masterpiece of storytelling, that is unfortunately a slog to get through. I don't think this specific story could have been told with the weight that it has in literally any other medium. Thank you for this video. I recall finding a newspaper somewhere that explained that none of the adults were in the orphanage when Stray Dog arrived, and it was some combination, I believe, of Clara quitting working there (as an older kid) and then Hoffman leaving shortly after? And something about Martha being told something mysterious was going on, calling the police and then nothing happening of it? There was a distinct piece of evidence in game that explained this, I remember finding this in that bonus orphanage chapter when you were able to run around, and I believe it was in a desk. Martha's journal I believe?? I believe that this is also explains why Clara was also a boss to fight, as she was also an "adult" who didn't do anything to help Jennifer in her situation, as she was too caught up on Hoffman's abuse. But she was just an older teenager at the orphanage that started working there, as she had no other choice. Just as you said multiple times, there are so many lore bombs that are so easy to completely miss. It's also worth mentioning that a very common way children deal with abuse (this case, specifically sexual abuse), is dissociating, and essentially projecting your consciousness to something else to "turn your brain off" to what is happening. ("If I was hiding behind the ceiling fan, this couldn't happen to me," "I would go to the castle in the books I would read," "When it would happen, I would hide behind the wallpaper," etc). It doesn't make literal sense, as the mind is strange, and the mind of a child is so inherently different than an adults. (This is also a key aspect of how Dissociative Identity Disorder [DID, previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder] can form in early childhood [The only time in one's life that the brain is capable of DID, as the mind is still developing and growing], and also how the different 'alter personalities' one could develop may be different genders or species than the actual body. "This wouldn't happen if I were a boy," "A big strong tiger would be able to escape") All of that considered, because the fish tank is in Hoffman's office, I understood in that moment that Clara was dissociating into the fish tank, "If I were a fish, I could swim away," "If I were a mermaid, I wouldn't have the body parts related to this trauma" and additionally, that was how I perceived the rope/harness that was in the Clara fight. "If I was on an airship, there would be ropes everywhere, where I could pull myself up to the ceiling and only come down when I wanted to and no one could hurt me." Though I agree that your interpretation of it is still entirely valid. Again, thank you for giving this game the attention and understanding it deserves. It's an absolute slog to experience, especially without a guide. If you are someone who wants to have played the "important" games, then please give it an honest try with a guide. But if you are content to just watch videos about "important" games, then this is the only video you need to watch.
Raccoon Laundry Day
2024-10-26 21:53:31 +0000 UTC
